Thirteen AC Milan players have been called up by their national teams.
The international break is now in full swing and involves a large portion of the squad, with players set to feature in friendlies and preparatory fixtures ahead of the upcoming World Cup, which gets underway this Thursday with the first round of matches building towards this summer’s tournament.
It is a useful window to keep working, but also a chance to catch breath after a demanding run of fixtures, ahead of a restart that will be decisive for Massimiliano Allegri and Milan’s season, beginning with the trip to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to face Napoli.
Rest and reset
Allegri has opted to make full use of the break, granting the squad three days off before reconvening on Wednesday with those players remaining in Milan.
The internationals
Thirteen Milan players are away on international duty:
- Mike Maignan and Adrien Rabiot (France) – vs Brazil and Colombia
- Zachary Athekame (Switzerland U21) – vs Faroe Islands U21 and Estonia U21
- Davide Bartesaghi (Italy U21) – vs North Macedonia U21 and Sweden U21
- Koni De Winter and Alexis Saelemaekers (Belgium) – vs USA and Mexico
- Pervis Estupiñán (Ecuador) – vs Morocco and the Netherlands
- David Odogu (Germany U20) – double-header vs Poland U20
- Strahinja Pavlović (Serbia) – vs Qatar, Spain and Saudi Arabia
- Fikayo Tomori (England) – vs Uruguay and Japan
- Ardon Jashari (Switzerland) – vs Germany and Norway
- Luka Modrić (Croatia) – vs Colombia and Brazil
- Christian Pulisic (USA) – vs Belgium and Portugal
Who stays at Milanello
Only 11 first-team players will remain at Milanello, including three goalkeepers and several players dealing with injury issues:
- Pietro Terracciano
- Lorenzo Torriani
- Matteo Pittarella
- Matteo Gabbia (injured)
- Youssouf Fofana
- Ruben Loftus-Cheek (injured)
- Samuele Ricci
- Niclas Füllkrug
- Rafael Leão (injured)
- Santiago Giménez
- Christopher Nkunku
Training with Milan Futuro
With such a reduced squad, Milan will once again integrate players from Milan Futuro, calling up several youngsters to complete training sessions.
It is a scenario already seen during the season, one that still allows Allegri to continue his tactical work while also giving opportunities to some of the most promising young players, who will be closely assessed by the Livorno-born coach with a view to potential first-team involvement.
